Adjustable rotary circuit controller



- July 22 1924. 1,502,643

R. C. LEAKE ADJUSTABLE ROTARY CIRCUIT CONTROLLER Filed Aug. 12. 1921 PIC-31.1.14 e 12 11TH'14 6 7121114 6 Patented July 22, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD O. LEAKE, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAI; RAILWAY SIGNAL COMPANY, OF GATES, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ADJUSTABLE ROTARY CIRCUIT CONTROLLER.

Application filed August 12, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD CHASE LEAKE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Rochester, in the countyof Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Rotary Circuit Controllers, of which the following is a specification.

In circuit. controllers of the sectional drum type, particularly those used inrailway signalling systems, it is highly de-' sirable to be able to accurately adjust the individual drums of the circuit controller, and at the same time maintain the drums securely connected to the shaft or other operating element so that they can not get out of proper adjustment in service. Also, the provisions for adjustment should preferably be such that the drums will not be loose or be able to shift to any great extent from theproper adjusted position, in case of careless or accidental manipulation.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a construction of a sectional drum circuit controller in which the several drums are connected to the operating shaft by individual adjustable fastening connections, so that each drum may be easily adjusted by a simple manipulation without disturbing the adjustment of the other drums. Another object is to provide an adjustable fastening connection for each drum which will permit small increments of adjustment for any position of the drum on its shaft, while at the same time possessing the necessary strength and durability.

A still further object of th invention is to provide an adjustable fastening connection for each drum which will not allow the drum to work loose on the shaft in service and which will also prevent the drum from moving to any great extent from its proper adjusted position case of breakage or misadjustment.

Another object is to provide a construction in which the elements'of the adjustable fastening connection of each drum are accessible from the same side of the shaft,

Serial No. 491,779.

so that the desired adjustments can be readily made without shifting the circuit controller from its ordinary position.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description of the invention progrosses, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which several physical embodiments of th invention are illustrated, and in which Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view taken through the axis of several controller drums supported on a shaft;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the device taken on the line 22 in Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of a modified form of the invention; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a rotary circuit controller having the adjustable fastening means embodying my invention applied thereto.

In Fig. 4 of the drawing I have shown my invention in connection with a conventional type of drum circuit controller comprising a shaft 1 which is journaled in suitable bearings 2 and which may be turned to different positions by some suitable 'driving connection (not shown). On each side ofthe controller shaft is a terminal board 3 made of suitable insulating material carrying a spring contact finger 4 for each. individual drum 5. Each of the individual drums 5 is provided on its periphery with a cont-act segment 6 of suitable conducting material arranged to bridge its pair of contact fingers through a particular arc of movement of the controller. drum. These contact segments 6 may be of different lengths so as to establish the circuit through their respective contact fingers through different arcs of movement of the shaft.

It will be evident that the Ian h of the .contact segment 6 of each indivi ual drum 5 determines the angle or are of movement of the shaft 1 during which a circuit is established between the contact fin ers associated with that drum, while the adjustment I position desired, and when a concave or dished sh of the drum 5 on the shaft determines the point in the movement of the shaft 1 at which this circuit connection is made or broken. In circuit controllers employed in railway systems, to which the present invention more particularly relates, it is highly desirable to be able to determine accurately the point in the rotation of the shaft at which a given circuit shall be made or broken; and since in commercial manufacture there will be sli ht differences in the length of the contact fingers, the shape of the ends of these fingers and the segments, and other Variations, it is proposed, in accordance with the present invention, to provide an adjustable fastening connection between each individual drum 5 and the shaft 1. This fastening connection is the same for each drum, and a description of one will suflice for all.

This fastening means comprises a reinforcin collar 7 having an inwardly radially extendm projection 8 which is of the proper size to t'slidably in a keyway 9 formed lengthwise of the controller shaft. Riveted or otherwise fastened to the reinforcing collar 7 is a lockin member or disk 10 of resilient material having a plurality of outwardly extending equally spaced spring fingers 11. These fingers 11 are bent so as to tend to spring out from the plane of the body of the locking member 10; and this tendency is preferably attained by giving the locking member 10 a permanent set in pe during its manufacture.

Each drum 5 is formed at one end with projections 12 leaving notches 13 of the same width as the spring fingers 11 which cooperate therewith, and the other end of the drum is rabbeted orcut away as shown at 14 in Fig. 1 for the purpose hereinafter explained.

The plurality of adjustable drums 5 are assembled together to form the circuit controller in the following manner. The controller shaft 1 is provided with a pin, nut and washer, or the like, at one end, (not shown) to serve as a stop. Drums 5 and locking members 10 are alternately slipped on the shaft 1 in such a way that the dished portion of the locking member 10 will face the end of the drum 5 provided with projections 12.

Since the drums 5 are loose on the shaft 1, they may be turned to th this has been done,the drums 5 are then pressed together by some suitable means, such'as a nut 15 threaded on the end of the shaft 1 as shown in Fig. 1. As the-drums 5 are thus pressed together, the dished locking members 10 are flattened out and their spring fingers 11 are pressed back, unless the corresponding drum happens to be in the correct posidrum on the shaft. For example,

e approximate.

tion to bring some one of the fingers 15 directly opposite a notch 13. After the circuit controller has been assembled in this way, the individual drums 5 may then be separately and accurately adjusted to the desired position.

It is apparent that if the notches are slightly differently spaced than the fingers, some kind of relative adjustment between the shaft 1 and drum 5 is possible. In order that the increment of adjustment may be as small as possible, the difference in spacing between the notches 13 and spring fingers 11 must be as small as possible; and in order to have an uninterrupted series of adjustable positions for the drum for any position on the shaft, there must either be one more or one less notch than finger, and vice versa. This relationship is similar to that of the two scales of a vernier, and may be conveniently called a Vernier relation.

This Vernier relation provides for accurate adjustment for any position of the in Fig. 2, there are shown 12 notches and 11 fingers. The drum 5 and locking member 10 are shown in relative positions where the uppermost finger 11 is opposite a notch 13. If the drum 5 is turned through a small angle clockwise, the next finger 11 to the right will come turned a little farther, the next finger 11 to the right will come opposite the notch 13 and so on, until the pomt is reached where the first finger 11 is. opposite the next notch 13. There is thus provided a rough adjustment from notch to notch and a fine adjustment between notches, depending upon the number of fingers. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 2, the increment of adjustment in degrees is equal to 360 divided by the product of the number of notches and number of fingers. For small increments of adjustment, the fingers and projections should be made as small as the strength of the material will permit, and they must be spaced as close as possible, so that there will be one more finger than notches, or vice versa. Any one of the several drums 5 may be adjusted without in any way interfering with the adjustment of any other drum. This is done by backing off the nut '15 on the shaft 1 whichholds the drums together just enough to remove the friction between adjacent members; and then the engaged finger is pried back with a screwdriver or the like, and the drum may then be turned until anotherfinger. engages, and so on. This procedure issuitable where only a slight change in adjustment is to be made.

en a coarse adjustment is to be made, the nut 15 is backed off far enough to allow the spring fingers adjacent the particular drum to be adjusted to assume their origopposite the notch 13 if where it is desirable to be able to make an adjustment Without turning the cont-roller shaft, especially Where only one side of the controller drum is accessible. This arrangement is valuable in those instances Where it is impossible to turn the shaft 1 fully around without disconnecting the operating means, or where such turning of the drum would affect the mechanism controlled thereby or is othervise objectionable. The locking member 10 in this modified construction is provided with fingers 11 part way around the shaft only, so that the fingers are always accessible. The relative spacing of the spring fingers 11 and the notches 13 in this form of my invention is substantially the same as that of the preferred form of my invention, that is, there is either one more or one less spring finger 11 than notches 13 in the arc spanned by the spring fingers. This are comprises the angle between the radial lines A and B in Fig. 3, in which there are 6 spring fingers and 7 notches. The notches 13 are equally spaced about the entire periphery of the drum, and the spring fingers 11 are equally spaced through the angle A-B. Thus the drum 5 may be adjusted to any position by very small increments Without turning the controller shaft 1.

From the foregoing, many of the advantages of my invention will beapparent. It should be noted that the spring locking fingers 11 always have a tendency to engage a notch 13 whenanotch comes in line therewith. 'Consequently, if none of the spring fingers 11 engage a notch 13 due to careless assembl adj'ustment, or for some other reason, only a very small displacement of the drum 5 on the shaft 1 can occur until one of the fingers will enga e a notch. Further, if one of the spring ngers 11 or projections 12 should break, the drum 5 could only shift from this adjusted position one increment of the adjustment until the next finger 11 would engage its'notch 13. Therefore, my novel locking means is not only easily adjustable in very small steps, but is also automatic in its locking action, in its several different positions, thereby preventing the drum 5 from becoming entirely loose on the shaft 1 in case the drum is not properly adjusted so as to bring a finger 11 opposite a notch 13, or in case the particular finger in a notch should happen to become broken in use. This feature is of particular value in circuit controllers for railway signaling systems where a fallure or breakage of the fastening connect-ion between the drum 5 and the shaft 1, if it should allow the drum to shift to any great extent out of its proper position, might result in a serious accident on account of the opening or closing of a circuit at the wrong time.

Further, it is quite common for a built up controller drum to have a plurality of contact segments of thesame length about the periphery of the drum, but spaced differently about the shaft. fastening means such drums may be made standard, that is, all alike, and when assembled may be properly positioned on the shaft. By using adjustable drums of this kindthe construction of the shaft does not require the usual accuracy. For instance, if a shaft be used having a squared end for fastening the driving means thereto, the keyway to which the adjustable fastening means of the drums is slidably secured, need not have any definite relation to the squared end, but may be cut anywhere about the periphery of the shaft. By thus standardizing the individual drum construction, very few parts are necessary to construct a large variety of controllers, and the necessary stock on hand and repair parts which should be kept in reserve, is reduced' The reinforcing disk 7 is primarily intended to provide a strong inwardly extending projection 8 to engage the keyway 9 in the shaft 1, but may be omitted by providing a-suitable slidable engaging means between the sprin locking member 10 and the shaft 1 of su cient strength and rigidity. The end of the drum 5 opposite the locking notches 13 has been shown as rabbeted to provide clearance for bending the fingers back free of the notches, but such rabbeting may be omitted and clearance provided in any other suitable way.

Although I have particularly shown and described different specific embodiments of my'invention; nevertheless, I desire to have it unde stood that the forms selected are merely illustrative and do not exhaust the lVith my novel possible physical embodiments of the idea troller, a shaft, a drum loosely mounted on said shaft, a member fastened to said shaft,

said drum and member having recesses and eriphery,

1 provided with engaging means,

extending only part1 projections spanning a certain angle, each projection being engageable with a corresponding recess in a certain relative position of said drum and member, there being a difference of one in the number of recesses and number of projections.

3. In an adjustable rotary circuit controller, a shaft, a drum loosely mounted on said shaft and provided with a plurality of equally spaced notches entirely about the and means fastened to said shaft and provided with equally spaced fingers adapted to engage said notches, said fingers about the periphery.

4. In an adjustabe rotary circuit controller, a shaft, a drum loosely mounted on said shaft, and a member rotating with said shaft, said drum and member having portions adapted to interlock and having relative spacing like a Vernier.

5. In an adjustable rotary circuit controller, a shaft, a drum jioosely mounted on said shaft, a reenforcing member fastened on said shaft, and a spring finger projecting from said member, said drum being prof\gided with notches to selectively receive said nger.

6. In an adjustable rotary circuit controller, a shaft, a. drum loosely mounted on said shaft, and a member fastened to said shaft and having a plurality of spaced proections, said drum being provided with a different number of notches, a certain notch receivlng one of said projections when said drum and member have a corresponding predetermined relation.

In an adjustable rotary. circuit controller, a shaft, a lurality of drums loosely mounted on said s aft, and means including a spring finger to adjustably secure each drum the shaft, said means being adjustable without impairing the adjustment of any other drum.

8 In an adgtustable rotary circuit controller, a she. a plurality of adjacent drums loosely mounted on said shaft, a member for each drum fastened to the shaft, and means to adjustably secure each memher to its respecstive drum, said means bemg operable without separating the drums.

In an adjustable rotary circuit controller, a shaft, a plurality of adjacent drums loosely mounted on said shaft and and a projecting spring finger for each drum extending from the shaft for engaging said means, the end of said finger being accessible so that it may be disengaged without separating the drums.

10. In an adjustable rotary circuit controller, the combination with a vshaft and drum thereon, of means automaticall tending to establish a locking connectlon be tween the drum and shaft in any one of a plurality of different positions.

11. In an adjustable rotary circuit controller, the combination with a shaft and drum thereon, of means comprising differently spaced projections and recesses for fastening the drum and shaft in any one of a plurality of different positions, there being one of said projections positioned to engage one of said recesses for each of said plurality of projections.

12. In an adjustable rotary circuit controller, a shaft, a plurality of drums on the shaft, each having n one end a number of projections forming notches, and a member between adjacent drums having a plurality of spring fingers tending to engage in said notches, the ends of said fingers being accessible to permit the fingers being pressed back clear of the projections.

13. In an adjustable rotary circuit controller, a shaft, a plurality of drums, means between adjacent drums for adjustably connecting each drum to the shaft, said adjusting means including spring fingers tending to cooperate with the the shaft for pressing 14. An adjustable rotary circuit controller of the type in which individual engagement between any one of a plurality of adjacent drums may be adjusted with respect to the shaft without disturbing the adjustment of any other drum comprising, a shaft, a plurality of drums rotatably mounted on said shaft, members mounted between said drums and splined to said shaft to permit endwise but not rotatable movement relative to said shaft, and means for fastening each of said members to its corresponding drum with any one of a plurality of points equally spaced angularly around the member opposite to any one of a plurality of points equally but difierently spaced angularly around said drum, whereby the drum is adjustable relative to the shaft by angular increments equal to the difference in the spacing of said points on the drum and member res ectively.

In testimony whereof I hereby afiix my signature.

RICHARD C. LEAKE.

the drums together.

drums, and means on 

